Acne and Diet
Grimmerick
Posts: 3,342 Member
I am wondering what I have done to help my hormonal jawline acne to clear up. Has anyone noticed a change in their skin after cleaning up their diet? I have always eaten a pretty healthy diet but not paid attention to RDA's, sugar, coffee etc. In the last few weeks I have made sure to stay within my sugar goal, Made sure I reached 100% on vitamins and minerals daily, and limited myself to 3 cups of coffee a day. After a few weeks I noticed the acne i had under my right jawline and some at the right side of my chin has cleared up almost completely. Now I'm wondering what the heck it was, was it all of them, some of them or none of them. I have had this acne for years now after stopping BC. Can anyone help me figure this out, cause I'm loving it! Oh and I have not drank( is it drank, hmm just doesn't sound right out loud lol) any more water than I usually do so I know it isn't that.
0
Replies
-
i have the same problem, unfortunately. the only thing that has worked for me so far is to keep on top of my skincare.. i have a facial once a month and i have also done a series of chemical peels. the sun/tanning beds also help so my skin is the worst in the winter as i am not a fan of tanning beds although i have used a bed specifically for the face in desperate measures. my gyno insists that the only solution is to go back on BC, but i refuse to do that.0
-
Same results when I cut sugar, but I also added cod liver oil. Doing both seem to be the magic for me. I don't even really care which it is because I'm willing to stick to it! Lovin' the clear skin!0
-
Nope. But then again my acne is/was always mechanical due to irritation and in some cases ingredients, although based on my current skincare usage I'd guess that it's primarily mechanical/irritation.
Fwiw I cleared up my acne by discontinuing the use of all skincare products. I'd rinse maybe 2-3x a week or less, and for a while I didn't really rinse at all. I needed this to help my skin adjust and "heal" from having been exfoliated pretty well every day for years, which left my skin thin, irritated, and dehydrated + oily and tight. Switching to only water left my skin much thicker after a while, and less dehydrated and tight, and pretty much eliminated my oiliness. After my skin cleared up and my red marks faded a bit I started wearing makeup again, so I had to start using oil to remove it, which only worked so-so... using washcloths is a total no-no for me, and even cotton pads are irritating and exfoliate too much. My skin has gotten thinner and more dehydrated and flakes now, and breaking out a bit, but never got as bad as it was a few years ago when at its worst I had like ~50 active zits on my face on top of clusters of red marks and rolling + ice pick scars (still have some of the former). About a week ago I stopped using cotton pads for oil cleansing (and I cannot use cleansing oils with emulsifiers, they dry my skin out) and instead just massage it in, emulsify the oil with wet hands for a while (getting new water throughout the process), then rinse a few times. Removes all my makeup, cotton pads have come back clean when I've tried this. My skin has already calmed down and looks smoother, better hydrated, and my breakouts are clearing up. I use the oil to moisturize as well, usually mixing with some water. I've used apricot kernel, avocado, and almond oil successfully for months as well, but I'm out of those ones right now (and in the past, almond oil DID break me out, but my skin was also reaally really irritated and I was using other skincare products as well).
eta I used to post on acne.org forums a lot, stopped years ago. But I made logs and a gallery there, so if you're interested in seeing the progress: acne.org/messageboard/blog/5437-how-i-cleared-up-my-acne/0 -
I personally, as well as some of my friends, and lots of people online that I've read about, have made a connection between eating "cleaner" (ie less processed) foods and their acne clearing up. The only time I start to notice it is around time of month and that's probably because I reach for more chocolate and processed foods then....0
-
I've noticed if I have more fast food or pizza (anything with a little bit more grease that what I'm used to) my skin flares up. When I really reign in my diet and keep to my macros, my skin clears up. Also- when I am actually getting enough water and am actually well hydrated, my face doesn't look as red. My face has never been 100% clear though.
0 -
I personally, as well as some of my friends, and lots of people online that I've read about, have made a connection between eating "cleaner" (ie less processed) foods and their acne clearing up. The only time I start to notice it is around time of month and that's probably because I reach for more chocolate and processed foods then....
I ate "clean" for 4 years, and I developed severe acne during that time as well. So just saying that "eating clean," which is a ridiculously arbitrary term, isn't some magic pill for ANY problem.0 -
Nope. But then again my acne is/was always mechanical due to irritation and in some cases ingredients, although based on my current skincare usage I'd guess that it's primarily mechanical/irritation.
Fwiw I cleared up my acne by discontinuing the use of all skincare products. I'd rinse maybe 2-3x a week or less, and for a while I didn't really rinse at all. I needed this to help my skin adjust and "heal" from having been exfoliated pretty well every day for years, which left my skin thin, irritated, and dehydrated + oily and tight. Switching to only water left my skin much thicker after a while, and less dehydrated and tight, and pretty much eliminated my oiliness. After my skin cleared up and my red marks faded a bit I started wearing makeup again, so I had to start using oil to remove it, which only worked so-so... using washcloths is a total no-no for me, and even cotton pads are irritating and exfoliate too much. My skin has gotten thinner and more dehydrated and flakes now, and breaking out a bit, but never got as bad as it was a few years ago when at its worst I had like ~50 active zits on my face on top of clusters of red marks and rolling + ice pick scars (still have some of the former). About a week ago I stopped using cotton pads for oil cleansing (and I cannot use cleansing oils with emulsifiers, they dry my skin out) and instead just massage it in, emulsify the oil with wet hands for a while (getting new water throughout the process), then rinse a few times. Removes all my makeup, cotton pads have come back clean when I've tried this. My skin has already calmed down and looks smoother, better hydrated, and my breakouts are clearing up. I use the oil to moisturize as well, usually mixing with some water. I've used apricot kernel, avocado, and almond oil successfully for months as well, but I'm out of those ones right now (and in the past, almond oil DID break me out, but my skin was also reaally really irritated and I was using other skincare products as well).
eta I used to post on acne.org forums a lot, stopped years ago. But I made logs and a gallery there, so if you're interested in seeing the progress: acne.org/messageboard/blog/5437-how-i-cleared-up-my-acne/
Thanks! very informative. I used the OCM method for a while, I liked the way it made my skin feel afterward, I have oily t-zone, dryish cheeks, and rosacea (basically screwed skinwise). So I really liked OCM and will probably go back to it. It didn't work for my hormonal acne but I didn't really expect it to since my acne stemmed from a more internal issue. I think I'll go back to OCM I stopped because I was afraid it would aggravate my hormonal acne.
0 -
My hormonal acne isnt touched by changes in anything..but hormones. So my doctor put me on spironolactone to address the excess testosterone. Worked like a charm. Hardly any perceptible side effects. Cannot use if pregnant or may become pregnant.0
-
I personally, as well as some of my friends, and lots of people online that I've read about, have made a connection between eating "cleaner" (ie less processed) foods and their acne clearing up. The only time I start to notice it is around time of month and that's probably because I reach for more chocolate and processed foods then....
No, it's not the chocolate and processed foods, it's your hormone cycles. It's called hormonal acne for a reason.0 -
I personally, as well as some of my friends, and lots of people online that I've read about, have made a connection between eating "cleaner" (ie less processed) foods and their acne clearing up. The only time I start to notice it is around time of month and that's probably because I reach for more chocolate and processed foods then....
No, it's not the chocolate and processed foods, it's your hormone cycles. It's called hormonal acne for a reason.
True that. When it "clears up all of a sudden" its because you've moved to a diff phase in your cycle...0 -
HardcoreP0rk wrote: »My hormonal acne isnt touched by changes in anything..but hormones. So my doctor put me on spironolactone to address the excess testosterone. Worked like a charm. Hardly any perceptible side effects. Cannot use if pregnant or may become pregnant.
Yeah I am wondering if my hormones were a bit imbalanced and something I did helped balance them back out. I don't even get a pimple near that time of the month anymore. I figured they would fix themselves after a while off of going off of BC but it's been like 3 or 4 years.
0 -
I personally, as well as some of my friends, and lots of people online that I've read about, have made a connection between eating "cleaner" (ie less processed) foods and their acne clearing up. The only time I start to notice it is around time of month and that's probably because I reach for more chocolate and processed foods then....
I ate "clean" for 4 years, and I developed severe acne during that time as well. So just saying that "eating clean," which is a ridiculously arbitrary term, isn't some magic pill for ANY problem.
Your personal experience outweighs my personal experience? Sorry your acne wasn't cleared up by eating less processed food, but mine was.....everyone's body is different and I was merely saying eating less junk helped my acne. I didn't claim it as a magic pill for anything....0 -
Nothing helped my acne except for Accutane. But I would NOT recommend that stuff; it's only for severe, chronic acne that never gets any better. The only reason why I even mention is to just reiterate the fact that it doesn't matter what you eat; it's going to flare regardless, especially if your hormones are all crae crae.0
-
All my skin goes really dry when I diet. So my legs start flaking but my spots go away on my face!0
-
killerqueen21 wrote: »Nothing helped my acne except for Accutane. But I would NOT recommend that stuff; it's only for severe, chronic acne that never gets any better. The only reason why I even mention is to just reiterate the fact that it doesn't matter what you eat; it's going to flare regardless, especially if your hormones are all crae crae.
I think it would depend on the type of acne and what was causing it wouldn't it? Hormonal acne as I understand it can be caused by an imbalance and some of the foods you eat supposedly can affect your hormones. This is just how I understood it when I did some research....and really the only thing that has changed for me is those little changes I made to what I eat.
0 -
killerqueen21 wrote: »Nothing helped my acne except for Accutane. But I would NOT recommend that stuff; it's only for severe, chronic acne that never gets any better. The only reason why I even mention is to just reiterate the fact that it doesn't matter what you eat; it's going to flare regardless, especially if your hormones are all crae crae.
heard the same from someone else recently.. she said that she was miserable while on it, but her skin looks great now!0 -
emmydoodles83 wrote: »Nope. But then again my acne is/was always mechanical due to irritation and in some cases ingredients, although based on my current skincare usage I'd guess that it's primarily mechanical/irritation.
Fwiw I cleared up my acne by discontinuing the use of all skincare products. I'd rinse maybe 2-3x a week or less, and for a while I didn't really rinse at all. I needed this to help my skin adjust and "heal" from having been exfoliated pretty well every day for years, which left my skin thin, irritated, and dehydrated + oily and tight. Switching to only water left my skin much thicker after a while, and less dehydrated and tight, and pretty much eliminated my oiliness. After my skin cleared up and my red marks faded a bit I started wearing makeup again, so I had to start using oil to remove it, which only worked so-so... using washcloths is a total no-no for me, and even cotton pads are irritating and exfoliate too much. My skin has gotten thinner and more dehydrated and flakes now, and breaking out a bit, but never got as bad as it was a few years ago when at its worst I had like ~50 active zits on my face on top of clusters of red marks and rolling + ice pick scars (still have some of the former). About a week ago I stopped using cotton pads for oil cleansing (and I cannot use cleansing oils with emulsifiers, they dry my skin out) and instead just massage it in, emulsify the oil with wet hands for a while (getting new water throughout the process), then rinse a few times. Removes all my makeup, cotton pads have come back clean when I've tried this. My skin has already calmed down and looks smoother, better hydrated, and my breakouts are clearing up. I use the oil to moisturize as well, usually mixing with some water. I've used apricot kernel, avocado, and almond oil successfully for months as well, but I'm out of those ones right now (and in the past, almond oil DID break me out, but my skin was also reaally really irritated and I was using other skincare products as well).
eta I used to post on acne.org forums a lot, stopped years ago. But I made logs and a gallery there, so if you're interested in seeing the progress: acne.org/messageboard/blog/5437-how-i-cleared-up-my-acne/
Thanks! very informative. I used the OCM method for a while, I liked the way it made my skin feel afterward, I have oily t-zone, dryish cheeks, and rosacea (basically screwed skinwise). So I really liked OCM and will probably go back to it. It didn't work for my hormonal acne but I didn't really expect it to since my acne stemmed from a more internal issue. I think I'll go back to OCM I stopped because I was afraid it would aggravate my hormonal acne.
OCM in the "traditional" way aggravated my non-hormonal acne so if your skin is sensitive to exfoliation then it could cause issues.
I used to post on makeupalley a lot, some women there recommended a supplement for it... starts with a V, I can't remember what it's called now. Something that people would use as an alternative to using birth control (obviously not for birth control effects lol).0 -
killerqueen21 wrote: »Nothing helped my acne except for Accutane. But I would NOT recommend that stuff; it's only for severe, chronic acne that never gets any better. The only reason why I even mention is to just reiterate the fact that it doesn't matter what you eat; it's going to flare regardless, especially if your hormones are all crae crae.
heard the same from someone else recently.. she said that she was miserable while on it, but her skin looks great now!
It should only be a last resort because of all the potential negative side effects. It also only has an 80% success rate apparently, and plenty of people need to go on multiple courses. So unless you've tried EVERYTHING, it's 100% a last resort. If a dermatologist recommends this first without recommending anything else or asking what else you've tried and then recommending something else, find another dermatologist.0 -
Skin is still looking good!! even close to TOM. will be interesting to see if I make it through with no new ones popping up. Certainly hasn't happened for me yet.0
-
I've noticed my skin becoming clearer as well, but attribute it less to what I do/don't eat and more to the fact that I've lost body fat which is part of the hormone regulatory system. I also decided to do a whole life change when I started dieting again. I exfoliate 3x week with a sugar scrub, moisturize 1x day, use tea tree oil 2x daily, don't wear makeup(don't feel that I need it anymore for everyday), and went on a long acting birth control to make my hormones more consistent vs having the monthly flare(I'm losing weight even on depo).0
-
The medical research is really shaky on establishing a link between diet and acne. So, there's no hardline rule about what contributes to acne in a diet. I recently had a bad flare up unlike any acne I've ever had (I've usually just had the hormonal chin acne from time to time). I had around 60 lesions overall from my chin to my hairline! I went to my doctor and I did ask about diet. She said that some things work for some people (like cutting dairy, keeping blood sugar level stable, balancing fats) and it could be worth a try to do something like that if I thought it'd help. For me, I saw no improvement.
After waiting 8 weeks to see if it'd clear up with dietary or OTC topical medication, she prescribed me a week of antibiotics and tretinoin cream that I mix with CeraVe moisturizing cream. The antibiotics cleared it for the most part so it seems my cause for that breakout was bacterial. I use the creams still for the occasional break out.
If you think the reasons for clearer skin is because of something you've done recently, you can try to figure out what it is. It's so hard to isolate what helps but if you're seeing an improvement, keep going for a long time like 6-8 weeks. Then people seem to reintroduce small amounts of what they've limited to see if there's a reaction.
0 -
I think it's trial and error and personalized to what you have going on in your body. I had always had very clear skin, even as a teenager, but in the past 5-6 or so years (I'm 34 now) I've developed very frustrating hormonal acne on my chin/jaw. It could be due to just general changes in my body since having kids (I have a 5.5 year old and a 3.5 year old), or general changes due to age, or the fact that up until we started trying to get pregnant I was pretty consistently on hormonal BC and now I'm not anymore since my husband got the big V after our 2nd was born, or some combo of the 3, or something else entirely, who knows. It's further annoying for me because I am very pale and scar extremely easily, so even if I NEVER pick or pop or anything I end up with red marks on my face for months and months after the acne is gone, so even though I tend to only get one or two decent sized cysts at any given time, the effects linger for a long time and the overall effect is pretty ugly.
I have to say that I have noticed that it improves (for ME) when I control my refined carbs by overall keeping a closer rein on my total carb consumption, and trying to limit it to fruits/veggies, nuts, legumes, and relatively small amounts of whole grains. Doesn't completely eliminate it, but it tends to trend better. Also, the combo of using retinol and VERY gentle exfoliation regularly helps quite a bit. I try to use a retinol cream 3 nights per week (just regular OTC anti-aging stuff), alternating with a Clarisonic with the delicate brush 3 nights a week and a clarifying mud mask the 7th night (admittedly, I rarely will make this happen all 7 nights in a week, because I'm more-than-occasionally too damn lazy/tired to wash my face at night). In the mornings I typically use a gentle moisturizer with just an extremely thin layer of a salicylic acid acne treatment underneath. I have to be really careful about what I use, since aside from the cystic hormonal acne, my skin is quite dry and sensitive.
Putting all of that together has helped me a lot. I don't know which piece or how much is coincidence, since (1) when I'm doing better with my food choices, I also tend to be doing better with my skin care, and vice versa (just an overall motivational mindset), so who knows which is actually helping more, and (2) sometimes I still get a cyst even doing everything right, and sometimes I fall off the wagon and do everything wrong and my skin stays looking good.0 -
emmydoodles83 wrote: »HardcoreP0rk wrote: »My hormonal acne isnt touched by changes in anything..but hormones. So my doctor put me on spironolactone to address the excess testosterone. Worked like a charm. Hardly any perceptible side effects. Cannot use if pregnant or may become pregnant.
Yeah I am wondering if my hormones were a bit imbalanced and something I did helped balance them back out. I don't even get a pimple near that time of the month anymore. I figured they would fix themselves after a while off of going off of BC but it's been like 3 or 4 years.
Hormones can change for all sorts of reasons, but I doubt "little changes" in diet would make the difference. Maybe going from a VERY high fat diet to a low fat diet... I could be wrong though, since hormone effects are notoriously sensitive.
0 -
Its important to have a good diet and along with this, its even more important to have essential skincare for acne. Hormonal problems will come but its our responsibility to ensure our skincare regime.0
-
My acne was surprisingly caused by sugars. I was shocked when it cleared up.
I developed acne along my chin, on my scalp, and on my upper back in my thirties after having kids. I thought it was related to that. I always had 3-8 zits around my mouth, few on my scalp and half a dozen or so on my back. It was wasn't horrible so I let it go.
Eventually I was given a medicinal cream called finacea, which helped a bit. Instead of 6 zits on my chin I would have 1 or 2. I stopped it and they came back.
Then I switched to a very LCHF ketogenic diet and my skin was clear within a couple of weeks. I now get one or two pimples per month, including on my back and scalp, rather than dozens. It is so much better.
In my case, that old myth about sugars casing pimples was completely true! Even the jaw line ones which are supposedly hormone caused. All food caused.
I have been eating higher calorie and higher carb over the last few weeks (40-50g carbs and 1800-2200 kcal) and I am getting a pimple here or there. I have no doubt it is all carb related for me. None.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions